You Will Do, or You Will Die
by theotherforcepush
Summary: Ezra is a student of the Inquisitor, living under his tortuous training and being tested to see if he can become a power Sith Lord. Emotions run wild and Ezra questions himself to see if the Dark Side is his true calling or if a higher purpose awaits.
1. Begin

**Do or Do Not.**

 **There is No Try.**

 _Wasn't that a Jedi saying?_

Now it's ' _You_ _ **will**_ _ **do,**_ _or you_ _ **will**_ _ **die**_ '.

* * *

 _ **Day 1826 (Present Day)**_

That was what ran through Ezra's head every day. That's all that ran through his head. It was the first thing any student in the Sith would learn. Failure was never an option. You did what you were told, and how they told you to do it. Any deviation from the accepted standard was an abomination. And any different thought that strayed from the path was treated as if it was fatal. Again, **You will do, or you will die**.

Ezra awoke from his meditation, through the fear that questioning this standard would come next. His eyes darted around the shadows of his dark room, seeing only four walls, a floor, and a ceiling. No light came through to him, keeping his mind cloaked in darkness. This was his home. Even calling it a home was too generous of a word. This was no home for comfort. But it was hardly a real prison. Real prison would keep the room locked. And they did. The lock was nothing to sneeze at. Even Ezra could blink an eye and open it. But he chose to stay in the room. He was told it was the standard to stay behind the locked door and wait to be summoned by a superior. To leave without permission would be a fatal choice.

Inside his dark chamber, Ezra breathed slowly, focusing on the walls around him. There was never any sound at this time of the night, but he knew there were others like him on the other side of those walls. Their first days here was filled with screams and crying, as was his own. But they learned quickly how much the Masters favored the silence. The kid in the left room over got the lesson on Day 4. The other kid in the right room over got it on Day 2. Ezra couldn't remember exactly when he found out, but he remembered when the Masters made their dictum clear to him. You will do, or you will die. The words rang in Ezra's head again and slowly, his memories of the days before his capture crawled back to him. He did not push them away, knowing they would help him succumb back into a meditative state. It was the closest thing he had to dreams, and the safest sense of relief from this way of life he had be forced into.

His eyes closed, and his breath slowed down to deep but gentle. Sure enough, his mind was lost into subconsciousness, and the memory began as if he was reliving the slow descent into hell that was now his life.

 ** _Day: -5_**

"Ezra, we will be okay!" A man shouted at him. "We'll be alright!"

It was Dad. Ezra's Dad. His mother was there too, next to him. Both were being dragged away from Ezra, the distance growing steadily. His dad was shouting at him as the white-clad armored men separated them. And poor Ezra, he was only a little boy. He couldn't understand what was happening. These men were pulling his parents away, and he couldn't stop them.

The little boy's vision was clouded by tears, but he did not make a sound. He could hardly find the will to wipe away the tears, let alone scream back for his parents. Fear had gripped him from doing anything but to watch his Mother and Father be taken around the corner of their home and out of sight.

Ezra looked back at his home, the front door only several feet away. The armored men were pulling out their belongings and throwing them to the street. The commotion had brought out a few locals to watch the humiliation of this family, as they were being made examples of. But the worst sight was that boy standing there, not making a sound, but still afraid and shaking.

The men continued tossing items out the door. Some didn't bother walk out the doorway to toss their load. They broke the windows and threw anything that wasn't bolted down, and not minding what they hit. This was made obvious as an old broadcaster box, sailed out the window and missed hitting the boy by a few inches. By instinct, the child flinched and moved several feet away, scared out of his mind. All he could do was keep watching. What could a small eight year old do against them anyway?

The gravity of his situation took a painfully long time to actually hit. This was it, he was done for. His family was gone, his stuff was gone. It wouldn't be long before the men would take him away, throw him in the academy or kick him out of the city. There was nothing for him now.

His small frame started to shake. His hands moved up to cover his face. Around his feet, the dust swirled and rocks rolled away from him. A strange feeling started to well up inside of Ezra. Like a sour knot with spikes was growing in his stomach. He winced with the pain of it, and fueled his sadness.

This, he felt, was his real beginning. When he lost all hope for anything.

 _ **Day 1826 (Present Day)**_

A nagging feeling forced Ezra to wake up. Something telling him to lean back. He complied willingly, and pulled his head back. Half a second didn't even pass when a swift rush of wind flew past him, ruffling his long blue bangs of hair. His eyebrows furrowed, and now he sensed the ugly murky mass in front of him.

"I said 'Get up'." A piercing voice cut through his thoughts.

Ezra leaned forward and opened his eyes. The golden orange eyes peered up at the form before responding. "Yes, Master."

The form backed off, and moved to the open doorway. Ezra slow rose to his feet, hearing each of his joints crack and pop from being in one position too long. He straightened up, and took a few slow steps to the doorway. His gold eyes peered at the frame in the doorway. It was tall, the head only a few inches under the ceiling and almost glowing a strange white from the lighting.

"This way, Subject L1138." The tall man spoke to the boy and lead the way. His and Ezra's black clothing stood glaringly against the white walls. Two Stormtroopers flanked either side of him, only moving to stand next to the boy.

Ezra didn't know why they gave him that name. It was tagged on him since Day 1. He accepted it after awhile, even though others were called by their formal names. But Ezra's own name became the last thing he could hold onto, as his memories were growing indistinct week by week. The name was the last hold he had to his past.

The group entered a larger room of the facility, filled with squadrons of Stormtroopers, several docked AT-ST walkers, and hanging TIE fighters up above. In the middle, a lone group of Imperial Academy students. Each student stood in formation, lines of white and gray uniforms and pale helmets, bearing only small distinctive color marks to identify singular students.

Ezra's master stopped behind the lines of students, forcing Ezra to stand beside him. The Stormtroopers stuck to the corners of formation, guns at the ready, and awaiting instructions.

At the front of the students were two dark gray uniformed men. When Ezra and his master took their spots in the back, they began speaking to the Academy students.

"Good morning, class. We have a little challenge for you today." One of their voices boomed over the children, enough to catch Ezra's ears. The other spoke with a deeper and gruff voice. "The field will present many challenges at times. And it is your duty to uphold yourselves with courage and cunning to overcome them, even at the greatest risk. Today's challenge will put your will to the test."

The first voice spoke. "All cadets, about face!" The children complied. "Meet the Inquisitor and his student L1138."

The helmets gave no nod or indication of a friendly hello. They only stared on at the two strangers, letting a cold silence build up. The gruff voice spoke up again."You will be facing L1138 in a duel. Twenty of the Academy's finest cadets, versus one."

Ezra's golden eyes narrowed, and a sickening grin crossed his face. His master looked down at his student, sharing the same grin. "Do not fail me, my apprentice. And do not kill them, unless you can't help it."

Within minutes, the cadets were given training guns, all set to stun. Ezra was handed nothing. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of spikes and gross hatred grow at his core. The Force was alive inside of him, with the Dark side at the reins.

While the cadets could not feel the shift of space in the room, they could see his dark blue hair flaring up off of his shoulders and face. And there was no wind to cause this. A few students stepped back, the fear already settling in.

Ezra took a glance at each cadet, deciding how he take them out, one by one. This was no game he would play with them. Any mercy given, was an opportunity for them to take him out. There was no choice, he needed to show them who had the real advantage here.

His master and the other instructors took several steps back, giving the competitors plenty of room. The Stormtroopers kept their stances, their visors never leaving Ezra.

"You may begin."

Ezra didn't even hear the last word before he was already moving at the cadets.


	2. Fear

**Fear is the Path to the Dark Side**

 _But Fear is a powerful tool as well. It can bend the will of men to your bidding. **And make Empires fall**._

* * *

 _ **Day 1826 (Present Day)**_

The fear was strong in the cadets, no doubt about it. Their opponent was the living and breathing example of a nightmare. Dark clothing, glowing wild eyes, and a sneer that would make a rancor scream. This kid was the real deal, if it even was a kid.

Their screams and yelps of pain filled Ezra's ears. Just what he wanted. Though the concept of 'going easy' was not considered, Ezra made sure they were still alive. A few broken bones and spinal fractures, but still breathing. Every punch and hit was magnified by the Force, sending a few lightweight children flying over twenty feet away. Others were slammed into the ground, leaving serious dents and dings.

The best of this was the loud clanging of the helmets hitting the floor. Every kid that went down gave his ears a satisfying clatter with their wails of pain. It helped him keep count of every victim that fell.

Picking off the last target, Ezra tripped the poor child. His hand caught the cadet's throat, already giving it a harsh squeeze. Another fulfilling grin came upon Ezra and he continued the torture till...

"That is enough." A voice cut through Ezra's thoughts.

The boy blinked his eyes and stood up straight. His hand unclenched from the neck, but the cadet fell to the ground anyway, barely showing signs of life. Ezra looked up, noticing a sea of white and gray bodies crawling or frozen in their places. And he stood out like a black tower among the view. His golden eyes searched the sight, looking for any cadet that may have gotten away. But it seemed that he was the victor overall. Even the Stormtroopers clutched on their weapons for dear life.

"Well done, my apprentice." Ezra's Master rewarded the boy with a small and slow clap of the hands. "Your training has proven fruitful under my surveillance. You should be proud of yourself."

Ezra turned to the tall man and knelt down respectfully. "Only when I serve you well, my Master." His eyes scanned the ground, noticing the toes of his Master's boots just stop right before him.

He heard the thumping of more boots coming to join them, but Ezra waited for his master to give him the right to stand tall in front of the superiors. His master did so by tapping his boot on the ground twice, making the boy immediately straighten up and stand next to him.

"L1138, you have proven to be a very successful experiment for our cadets. You separate the best from our top cadets at this Academy." The man nodded in approval to Ezra, recognized as the voice talking to the cadets before the challenge.

Another man walked up to the conversation, Ezra recognizing the gruff voice immediately. "Or you would if any of them had bested you."

The four took another look at the struggling cadets. Few had already gotten up, but most remained on the ground writhing in pain.

"It seems your challenge was all too easy for my apprentice." Ezra's master commented. "I find it harder to keep his abilities suitably controlled with all these weak little fools running around in our Academy..."

Ezra gave a slow blink, losing interest in the conversation and suddenly going deep into thought. Were his abilities really growing stronger as his master had said? Sure, these challenges were easy, but maybe that was because his Master wouldn't give him a real trial. It would be something to actually face another kid who shared in his strengths and powers. But regular cadets were easy compared his training with the Master.

"...And we will come back when you when you decide to present my apprentice with a real challenge. Good day, gentlemen." The Master commented and began to walk away.

"Yes, Inquisitor." The gruff voiced man agreed, though his voice gave off a bit of regret.

Ezra walked with his Master, staying only a few steps behind. His thoughts were swirling around, reliving the moments from only several minutes ago. The screams and pleads of mercy. The gut wrenching cracks of their bones under the force of his hands. And every clank of the metal helmets hitting the floor as they fell.

Ezra's stomach churned at every cry, building his anger and delicious satisfaction up. His hands balled into fists, cracking his knuckles. Oh what he'd give to do it all over again, make them feel his hatred and anger for... for... the pure sake of it.

"Patience, my eager apprentice. You may get another chance at them again very soon." His master told him. "I sense your burning rage through your own thoughts."

The boy let out an uneasy breath, letting his fingers uncurl and his walk become slightly relaxed. But a thought remained. All this anger and bitterness, why did he have it? Was there something he resented so much that it called for violence? No, he had to stop. If he questioned his training, he'd pay the price, and his Master would never let him live it down.

"Your wandering mind is dangerous. Perhaps I should give you a few days of extensive training and remind you why you're here." His master grinned, keeping a light tone of pleasure to it.

Ezra looked up, showing a rare look of fear of his own. Extensive training was never a good sign for him. His torture given to the cadets was a basic lesson compared to it. He could only accept his Master's suggestion, for disagreeing would prove something disasterous.

"I would be pleased to do so, my Master." He responded, after a heavy silence came between them. The words stung his tongue with regret once they were spoken.

"Very good." The Inquisitor stopped in front of his destination. Ezra's room.

The door slid open and Ezra entered the dark hole he was so familiar with. Once he had reached the center of the room, a symphony of loud clanking surrounded him. Pieces of metal, from what it sounded like, hit the floor all around him. One piece rolled over and hit his black boot. The boy knelt down and picked it up. His hand shook as the light from the doorway illuminated the piece of a lightsaber. Ezra's mind immediately processed what was expected of him. His gold eyes looked over his shoulder at his Master.

"Rebuild the lightsabers in your dark prison in three full planet rotations. No food and no water until they are complete." His master commanded.

The door hissed shut with an unnatural slam, cloaking Ezra once more in his dark cell. When the light had vanished, he noticed three glowing spots in the room, barely illuminating anything around them. Kyber crystals.

Ezra knelt down and felt the piece of metal tenderly. This training was one of his hardest challenges yet, and that's only because his master never told him how many lightsabers he needed to rebuild. Were they three individual lightsabers to build? Or a double blade with an extra crystal to confuse him? He gave a deep sigh and took a seat. It was going to be a long three days.


	3. Fate

**There's no such thing as Luck.**

 _That is correct, because it's actually called_ **Fate** _. And you would be surprised how early it will show itself._

* * *

 _ **Day 1829 (Present Day)**_

Three days was a painfully long time to go without food and water. That was about the limit to survive without water in a harsh condition. Thankfully, this wasn't so, and Ezra was more than grateful. His stomach was snarling at him like a savage Loth-cat, but grateful nonetheless. It was a satisfying challenge compared to his previous training with the cadets. Something that could put his mind to the test, and leave out the distractions. His master would be very pleased at the apprentice's heightened focus.

To a greater pleasure, he had finished constructing the lightsaber. It would seem that the Inquisitor was indeed testing his apprentice. Enough parts to build a double-bladed lightsaber, and a few extra parts added for confusion, including the Kyber crystal. Quite a challenge indeed.

Ezra rose to his feet, wielding the double blades in his hand. A haunting red glow lit his once dark prison. It would seem that this was his own master's blades, seeing this design many times before during training sessions. But how did this level of trust come to this? Trusting a young boy to rebuild his master's lightsaber? How much faith did he put in Ezra to not slice his own hand off trying to reconstruct it?

The boy quickly got off the subject. The wandering mind must be tamed. His training was not even complete until the Master returned.

With no real sense of time, Ezra could only figure that his master would be back soon, knowing not that his three days were nearly up. The boy took a seat on the floor again, glancing at the extra Kyber crystal sitting next to him. It wasn't red like his master's, but shone a cold icy blue instead. He was almost afraid to touch it, thinking it would numb his fingers with a chill.

Instead, he deactivated the lightsabers in his hand. The red glow faded away and left the boy with just the light of the blue Kyber crystal to see by. And even then, he could only see a few inches around it.

Among the extra parts thrown into play were a stabilizing ring, a power cell that was half dead, and weak rubber hand grips. Even with the extra crystal, it was nowhere close to being a new lightsaber altogether. But these pieces still had some worth to them.

Quietly, Ezra set his master's lightsabers on the ground in front of him. A lingering thought crawled through his mind. What if he switched the blue Kyber crystal with one of his Master's red crystals? Would it be amusing, or did his Master not care about specific colors? It did not matter to Ezra how they looked or what they truly represented.

The boy crossed his legs and pulled himself into a silent meditation. Maybe he could change the crystals to see how they would look. At least then, it was for his own entertainment. Then he could switch it back and his master would never know the difference. His light hearted thought felt strange, but was a surprising welcome. In his five years enduring this training, perhaps it was time to try something different. Just like how it was before it began...

Slowly, his meditation became reverie, as memories filled his mind with another pleasant distraction. One, he hoped, would be lighter and calmer than the last.

 _ **Day: -4**_

Lothal still had chilly nights, despite being mostly prairies and sunshine. That sun had to set eventually, and the surroundings would turn cold and dark. While Ezra knew this, he never had to worry this much about the cold before. Just the other night, he had a warm home. Everything he ever knew and loved was gone now. Being a little child, his whole world took a turn for the uncertain. And now the cold was suddenly a serious problem.

What if he'd never feel the warmth of a home again? What if his mom and dad would never come back?

The child pulled his legs in and rested his head. Arms folded to protect his face and ears from the numbing chill of night. It helped slightly. And that was all he could do for now. Even worse was the gnawing pain growing in his stomach. Hunger. He had to feed himself now. But with what? There would probably be nothing left at his home. Anything tossed out was probably rotten or half eaten. Unfortunately, he'd have to come to no choice. Eat the rotten food, or steal the fresh food. But that thought would have to be for another day, but only if the night would not freeze him to death.

Ezra closed his eyes, thinking about the last night in his warm home. A kiss good night from his mother, a warm blanket from his father, and the promise of a bright day when he woke up. He would have no promise, kiss, or blanket tonight, as he went to sleep, praying this nightmare would end.

 _ **Day: 1829 (Present Day)**_

The installation was complete. Ezra stood back up and reactivated his Master's blades. The mix of red and blue splashed his room with a violet hue. Satisfied, he twirled the blade in his hands, watching the lines of light rotate and scatter the bright colors around. It beguiled him. A balance of each color and how it created an existence that demanded attention.

Ezra paused, lowering his arm and looking upon his completed experiment. Like the colors, his feelings were mixed. Why couldn't both colors be used? Then again, who would do that? It felt uneven, despite both colors being strong in their own right. He gave a deep breath and furrowed his eyebrows. His own mind was favoring the red, the rage swelling and burning brutality. But his eyes were caught by the blue. It put his fire to ashes and left him with a desire of peace and silence.

The boy deactivated the blade once more. His hand carefully slid a side panel open, revealing both crystals to him. The violet glow returned and touched his face. Perhaps there would one day be a need for both. In what way, he did not know. He carefully pried out the blue Kyber crystal and held it in his palm.

His thoughts were interrupted with the door sliding open, revealing his master standing there, only a silhouette in the light. Ezra slid the panel of the lightsaber back into place and took a knee in front of his master. His hand holding the crystal tightened, to hide the blue glow.

"Is it finished?" The looming sophisticated voice asked the boy.

"Yes, my Master." Ezra held out the completed blades to the figure. In a brief moment, it left his hands, returning to the rightful owner. Ezra looked up, only to narrow his eyes at the harsh white light flooding into the room.

It seemed that his master was inspecting the handiwork. "Very good, my young student. And I trust the lesson was learned here." It wasn't a question, but Ezra knew that every lesson had to be learned, or it would be repeated.

"Yes, my Master. I have learned proper focus and to remain loyal, even in my thoughts." Ezra replied statically.

"Very well." His master commented. "You will return to your regular lessons tomorrow, but then, we shall have a true test to see if you are ready to join our ranks as a true Sith follower."

The boy's eyes widened. This was it. Long years of agonizing training, harsh words, and small successes were about to pay off for him. This was his first step to the real Sith training, a prize set forth a long, long time ago. A small grin appeared on his face, but his master already beat him to the words.

"My apprentice, take pride, your wait is almost over. And in that short span of time, you will soon call yourself a true follower of the Sith." The voice spoke once more, giving very little praise to the student. "We begin at the next rotation of the planet."

A tray of food slid from the doorway and bumped against Ezra's foot. Before the boy could even lift his golden eyes to thank his master, the door hissed shut, bringing back that familiar darkness. His fingers felt along the floor and found the tray, pulling it next to him, while the other hand ungripped the blue crystal. The small gem lazily fell from his fingers and to the floor, shining it's few inches of light again.

Ezra could only keep his smile on his face as he carefully ate his meal by the light. His reward was soon to come for all of this previously fruitless hard work. A real test to see if he could continue his training to the next level, and he already knew failure was no option now. He will do, or he would die.

Pride began to swell in his chest at the thought of himself as a Inquisitor himself, training his own young student in the way of Sith. Perhaps, even something higher, like a General or a Lord. The possibilities were being laid out before him, all to be conquered.

As he continued to paint the picture in his mind, the spare parts of the lightsaber test began to shake. They were soon hovering off of the ground and spinning slowly. It would seem the Force was almost encouraging his imagination, making it more real and tangible in his mind. The only thing Ezra never noticed was the discarded second red Kyber crystal that belonged in his master's lightsaber. The boy never returned it to its place.

Of course that was his master's fault. The fool never activated the blades.

* * *

 **Hey guys, this is the author!**

 **I feel like I owe you an explanation as to why I did not upload this chapter as quickly. Truth is, my house suffered in a thunderstorm and I was left with no Internet or TV for several days.** **I'm slightly glad for it, since now I had more time to think up and write more for the story!**

 **Also, a huge thank you for everyone who put this story in their watch list or favorite list, and also to those who left reviews! I'm very glad you guys are enjoying this as much as I am!** **Please, if there's anything you really want to see or know, feel free to either message me directly or leave a review!**

 **And if you guys like, I can even create an extra 'chapter' to give you guys insight on the backstory to making this fanfiction and all the hidden Easter Eggs that were tossed in! What do you think?**

 **Thank you and happy reading!**


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